Improvement in lubricators



C. H. PARSHALL.

-Llbrioatorl Patented-Mawr 25,

@MCP a@ WITN ESS ES NFETES. PHOTO-LITHOGRVHEPL WASHINGTON. D C,

'UNITED Sririniisl PATENT @non CHARLES H. PARSHALL,

OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN LUBRICATORS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 213,589, dated March25, 1879; application filed February l, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. PARsHALL, of Detroit, in the county ofWayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Lubricators; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in lubricators. Eeretofore,inlubricators wherein the oil is fed automatically by the superior gravityof v water of condensation, the oil is displaced and moved to theoileduction outlet of the lubricator by the superior weight or gravityof the condense water, the latter entering the oil-receptacle anddisplacing a corresponding quantity of oil, and causing the latter to beexpelled from the oil-receptacle and fed to any desired point.

The object of my invention is to provide a lubricator of suchconstruction that the oil may be fed by its superior gravity, due to asufficient head of oil-supply to cause the oil to iow upwardly through acolumn of water to the point of discharge; and to this end my inventionconsists in the several details in construction and combinations ofparts, as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of myimproved lubricator. Fig. 2 is a detached view of the steam -pipe andcheck-valve located therein, and Fig. 3 is a transverse view of the stemof the checkvalve.

A represents the steam -pipe to which the lnbricator is to be attached.B is the stem of the lubricator, and is provided with independentpassages C and D. To the upper side of the stem B is secured anoilreservoir, E, which is preferably made of metal, although it may beconstructed of any desired material. The upper end of the oil-reservoirE is furnished with an oilinduction opening, a, through which oil issupplied to the reservoir, said openin g a being closed by ascrew-threaded stopper, b, after the reservoir has been filled.

Cups F F are cast solid with the reservoir E, and are located nearopposite ends of the same, and receive the opposite ends of the glassindicating-tube G therein. H is a screwthreaded plug, provided with aninterior chamber, c, and a passage, d, formed through the chamberedportion of the same. Passage tl connects with a passage, e,communieating with the interior of the oil-reservoir. Packing-rin g orgasket f is fitted around the upper end of the tube Gr, and when thelower end of the screw-threaded plug H is turned down snugly upon thepacking-ring a tight joint is formed between the glass tube and itssupporting-cup, while afree passage is formed through the plug,establishing a direct communication between the oilreservoir and upperend of the glass tube G. The lower end of tube G extends through thebottom of supporting cup or flange F', and is retained in place by thescrew-threaded plug I, the end of which rests upon a packing-ring, g,surrounding tube G. Plug I is provided with an i opening, h, whichconnects with apassage, z', leading to the interior and lower port-ionot' the oil-reservoir. A waste-cock, K, is secured to the lower end ofplug I, and connects with the inner chamber, j, of said plug by means ofa passage, k, formed therein. By opening the waste-cock the oil andwater in reservoirE may be drawn off when desired.

L is a steam-tube, the lower end of which is screwed int-o the stem B ofthe lubricator, and connects with the steam-passage C. The upper end ofsteam-tube L extends nearly to the top of the oil-reservoir, and isprovided with a valve-chamber, k', which is furnished with a conicalvalve-seat, Z. Within valvechamber lo is located an upwardlyelosin gconical valve, M, having a stem, m, which projects through the openingm1 in the upper end of the valve chamber, and which serves to guide thevalve to its seat. As the steam enters the passage C and ilows into thesteamtube L the force of the steam, acting against the Vface of theconical valve, raises the latter snugly against its seat, therebypreventing the escape of steam into the oil-reservoir E.

The following provision is made to admit steam into the oil-reservoirfor the purpose ot' forming condense-water to feed the oil to 111e pointto be lubricated. The lower end of the screw-threaded stopper b isrecessed at m2 for the reception of the upper end of the valvestem.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated the form of valvestem m in cross-section, itbeing triangular or of any equivalent form, so thatwhile the valve isguided steam is allowed to tiow past the stem into the oil-reservoir.hen it isdesired to admit steam to the oil-reservoir, by simply turningthe screw-stopper b downward the valve is forced away from its seat, andsteam rushes past the valve and through the steampassagcs on the sidesof the valvestem into the oil-reservoir. rl`he amount of steam-open ingmay be regulated with the greatest accuracy,so that any desired amountof steam may be supplied tothe oil'reservoir, the adjustment beingeffected by varying the height of the lower end of screw-stopper I.

N represents an oiltnbe. which extends upwardly into the oil-reservoir,the upper end of tube N heilig below the upper end ofthe steamsupplytube, whereby there is formed a condensing-chamber, N', above the top ofthe oilsupply tube. The lower end of thel oil-supply tube N is screwedinto the stem B of the lubri cator, and communicates with an independentpassage, a, formed therein.

O is an oil-regulating valve, which is ar ranged to fit the conical seatc formed in the passage u, and by means of which the quantity of oil fedfrom the oil-tube can be regulated.

To the under side of stem B is secured a glass or translucent cylinder,l', the upper end seating against a packing-ring, p. Surroundingtheglasscylinder l is an opelrwork shield, Q, the upper end of which isscrew-threaded 'and constructed to be screwed into the screwthreadednipple or socket q, formed on the stem B.

To the lower end of the shield Q is attached a cup-shaped nut, l, withinwhich is received the lower end of the glass cylinder or tube l. Nut Ris provided with a waste-cock, lt', for the purpose of draining thewater from the glass cylinder when desired.

S is an inverted siphon-tubc, the upper end being secured to the stem Bofthe lubricator, and the lower end being upturned at .s to direct thellow of the oil upward. The glass cylinder P communicates with theoil-passage 1) in the stem B by the port s.

Having fully described the construction of my improved lubricator, Iwill now proceed to explain its operation.

The oil-reservoir is first lled with oil or any suitable lubricant. Thestopper attached to the top of the oil-rcservoir is then screwed down asnicient distance to open the checkvalve in the upper end of thesteam-inlet pipe and allow steam to tiow from the steam-pipe A, throughthe steam-passage t, into the steampipe in the oil-reservoir. As thesteam issues from the upper end of the steam-pipe into the oil-reservoirthe steam is condensed, and by reason of its superior gravity thecondensewater settles to the bottom of the oil-reservoir, therebydisplacing an equal quantity ot' the oil therein contained. Thisoperation raises the oil in the reservoir, and causes it to enter andlill the oil-feedin g tube in the oil-reservoir.

Steam also enters the glass cylinder l through passage D and port s',and condcnses and lls said tube or cylinder with Water. By opening theoil-regulating valve oil descends from the oil-tube inthereservoir,tlows through the oil-passage in the stem B, past the valve,and into the inverted siphontube in the glass cylinder.

As the column ot' oil is equal to the distance from the top of theoil-feeding tube in the oilreservoir to the lower end of the invertedtube in the glass cylinder, the weight ot' oil in said column is greaterthan the column of water in the glass cylinder,and hence the oil isexpelled from the lower end of the Siphon-tube, and is tloated to thetop of the glass cylinder, and passes into the steam-pipe through port sand passage l).

The amount ot' oil passing from the lubricator can be readilyascertained by inspecting the glass cylinder P, as drops of oil arecontinually ascending therein ontheir passage to the point to belubricated. The quantity of oil in the oil-reservoir can be readilyascertained from the glass indicating-tube connected therewith, the oilstanding at the same height therein that it does in the oil-reservoir.

From the foregoing it will be observed that my improvement is a radicaldeparture from all other lubricators heretofore produced, in that theoil is fed to the point to be lubricated by the superior gravity ot' acolumn ot' oil over a column of condense-water, through whichthe oil ispassed, and by means of which the extent of feed is readily ascertained.

It is evident that many slight changes in the construction and relativearrangement ot' parts may be devised for accomplishing the same resultwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence I do notlimit myself to the exact construction shown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A lubricator consisting, essentially, in the combination, with anoil-reservoir provided with a steam-pipe which conveys steam into theupper end of said reservoir and an oil-pipe, the inlet-opening of whichis below the outlet ot' the steam-pipe, whereby a condensing-chamber isformed in the upper end of the oil-reservoir, of a translucent cylinderlocated below the oil-reservoir, and provided with an invertedSiphon-pipe, which connects with the oil-pipe in the oil-reservoir,whereby a column of oil is formed to overcome the gravity ofthe columnot' water in the glass cylinder, substan tiall y as set forth.

2. In a lubrieator, the combination, with an oil-reservoir provided witha steam-pipe which conveys steam into the upper end of said reservoirand an oil-pipe, the inlet-opening of which is below the outlet-openingof the steampipe, whereby a condensing-chamber is formed in the upperend of the oil-reservoir, a translucent cylinder located below theoil-reservoir, and provided with an inverted Siphon-pipe, of anoil-supply-regulating valve, arranged and adapted to govern the low ofoil from the oilppe in the reservoir to the siphon deliveryof atranslucent cylinder located below the oilreservoir, and provided withan inverted siphon-pipe and a valve for opening'or closing communicationbetween the oil-pipe in the reservoir and the Siphon-pipe in the glassor translucent cylinder, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the stem of a 1ubricator having` independentsteam-passages therein, an oil-reservoir attached to the upper side ofsaid stem, and a tube for supplying steam to the upper end ofsaidreservoir, of a glass cylinder connected with the'lower side of thestem and an oil-passage provided with a valve, said passage extendingfrom the upper portion of the oil-reservoir to the lower portion of saidglass cylinder, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this20th day of January, 1879. 4

CHARLES H. PARSHALL.

Witnesses:

VR. CoLLINN, GEORGE JOHNSON.

